'When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras' - the old adage is well-known to GPs but what should you do when faced with a zebra, not a horse? Consultant cardiologist Professor Robert Tulloh and GP Dr Louise Tulloh kick off our new series with their advice on how to catch Kawasaki disease in general practice.

85% of GPs believe NHS will be privatised within ten years

Almost 85% of GPs believe the NHS will be privatised within ten years, with 45% predicting it will occur within five years, a survey of 1,137 NHS staff has revealed.

The survey, conducted by Cogora, which publishes Pulse, also revealed that GPs felt less engaged in the CCG decision-making than practice managers.

It found that 91% of GPs felt the reforms resulted in more work, while 97% of practice managers believe workload had increased.

The survey questioned 548 GPs, 418 nurses and 171 practice managers.

It found that exactly half of practice managers felt that privatisation will happen within seven years, compared with 45% of GPs.

Only 14% of GPs and 11% of practice managers felt that privatisation will not occur in the next ten years.

Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chair of the GPC, said that practice managers’ estimates could be more accurate as they are closer to commissioning decisions.

He said: ‘Practice managers are increasingly the ones within the practice that are getting involved with the day-to-day CCG roles on behalf of the practice because GPs themselves are so overwhelmed with their practice commitments.’

Those people with their heads in the sand who think it will be 10 years - are missing the point that it is already happening.

With the Falsely held requirement that NHS England is pushing for all contracts to go out to Tender now, it is inching forward on a daily basis, and it is just going to turn into a landslide eventually.

We have been sold out by the Political Class of Doctors in the DOH, and our representatives whose watch this has happened in.

It is the fault of BMA in not supporting GPs by enforcing employment law allowing many GPs to be salaried with vastly inadequate surgery suopport and fault inflicting iT systems that has led to this eventuality.Allan Wishart should have been called back in Employment division at any costs ,for he truly potected the GPs